Shattered
by RaNev
Summary: After a horrible quidditch accident, Katie Bell is forced to give up her dream and move on. Without a job or money, how is she supposed to survive in the wizarding world?
1. Default Chapter

**Shattered**

**By ArrA and Neveada**

Katie Bell sat with her back to the wall, her shoulders hunched over her lower body. In her lap, the _Daily Prophet was spread out across her legs as she read the Wanted-Ads, and in her right had was a bright, yellow highlighter with which she highlighted any job she found to interesting or that she was qualified for._

Two months ago she had thought that her dreams were starting to come true. She had had a great job and a chance at playing professional quidditch which was her dream… then one day it all collapsed on her without a moment's notice.

It had started out well, a day like any other. Katie had pushed herself out of bed at seven a.m. and pulled on the sweat pants that lay on the floor by her bed. Soon she was ready to go, a granola bar hanging out of her mouth as she hurried to get out the door, but on time for once in her life. She pulled her wand out of the bag containing her quidditch robes and extra clothing and apparated to the pitch.

When she reappeared, she was standing in the middle of the women's change rooms at Gwendolyn Morgan Pitch, named after one of Holyhead Harpies' most famous captains, Gwendolyn Morgan. Morgan Pitch was a training ground exclusively for female aspiring quidditch players to which Katie had been given the honor of training at for the last three years. 

Like every other day, Katie was soon on one of the private quidditch pitch along with thirteen other girls, about to play a minor scrimmage. Katie and Ada Leofric flew to the end of the field, both on Cleansweeps 14s, and started to pass the quaffle to each other, flying in different directions in their end of the field as the rest of the chasers also practiced in pairs. 

Finally a whistle was blown and the game of Quidditch began. Every girl was competitive, knowing that those who looked best would be a step closer to the major leagues but also that being a team player was also a very important part of quidditch, so they need to retain the important balance.

It was halfway through that game that Katie's life changed forever. Jessie Callon, a beater who had gone to Durmstrang, had smacked a bludger towards Katie's head while her back had been turned. Of course Callon wouldn't have purposely injured another player, even if she was from Durmstrang, but Katie didn't hear the cries of warning until late and one moment she felt a heart stopping pain in the back of her head, the next she was pitching forward, off her broom and the last thing she remembered was the sound of bones breaking as she landed on the unforgiving ground.

When Katie finally woke up, two weeks later, she was given the horrible news from her father, a man she hadn't seen since her graduation, two years before.

"You've broken that bone one to many times," Richard Bell said, trying to sound apologetic as his daughter's face turned pale. "I'm sorry Katherine, but it's not possible for you to play quidditch anymore."

Katie had felt tires stinging her eyes as she looked at her father in disbelief. "You're lying," she accused, remembering the look in his face when he had told her girls didn't play quidditch. 

Sadly Richard shook his head. "Sorry Katherine, but the bones in your left leg will never heal fully and while you're lucky to not have a limp, anymore quidditch will make it useless."

"Get out," was all Katie could say as she looked her uncaring father in the eye. Richard shrugged and walked out the door before being joined by his new wife in the hall. Katie's mother had died when Katie had been twelve and after that Richard had gone through so many girlfriends and quite a few wives as well. The current one was just twenty five, a few years older than Katie herself.

The next day Katie had found out she had lost her job. She had worked for a Ministry job, complete with boring colleagues and even more boring paperwork. When she hadn't shown up for a week, the Ministry had fired her, not changing their minds after they found out what had happened to Miss Bell.

"We need someone responsible," Katie's boss had said when Katie had gone to complain. "You were always running late anyways, now you're just a thorn out of our backsides."

Swallowing her anger Katie had been forced to walk away, muttering obsenereis about the woman as she left.

And all these events led to why Miss Katie Bell was slouched against her bedroom wall, reading the wanted ads of the Daily Prophet. She had long since sold many of her belongings including clothes and furniture to make ends meet. Before at the Ministry she had just been able to afford the small apartment and pay her bills but now, with no incoming income, she was forced to barter and hack many of her possessions.  

Skimming down the page she found nothing she qualified and eventually she threw down the paper in defeat, climbing to her feet and exiting the small apartment for Diagon Alley. Strolling down the street she longingly windowed shopped, taking in the newest robes before looking down at her own tattered clothes. Although they weren't actually in tatters, they were worn, faded and extremely out of fashion. Katie sighed; she would have to wait a long time before she could afford to buy new robes, fashionable or not.

Her wandering took her along the street, closer to Gringrotts when she saw it. A large signed said "Coming Soon" and flashed the many logos of the English Quidditch Teams while their National team backed the coming soon lettering. At the bottom of the sign it read, "Quality Quidditch Supplies," and there was a picture of a wizard riding a broom. In the other corner there was a help wanted sign. 

Taking a deep breath Katie realized she must have that job. Just because she could no longer play quidditch professionally didn't mean she couldn't support it.

"Katie!" a voice said, interrupting her thoughts, "I _knew that was you!" Spinning around Katie saw Angelina Johnson smiling at her. "How are you Kate?" she asked sympathetically. _

"I could definitely be better," Katie replied, smiling slightly at her friend before motioning to QQS. "So what do you know about that new Quidditch store?" she asked curiously.

"Well," Angelina answered, an evil glint in her eyes which usually meant there was juicy gossip to be told, "word on the High Street says that it's owned by none other than Mister Flint."

"Flint? As in _Marcus Flint? I'd be surprised if he could count to five, let alone handle a store."_

Angelina laughed. "Well according to the latest gossip, Flint isn't as stupid as we previously expected. There was some story to why he failed the NEWTs but unfortunately I wasn't privy to it."

Katie lifted an eyebrow in doubt and linked her arm through Angelina's. "Well Angie, I guess that counts out any chance for me to get a job there."

"Well that's not entirely true. There were rumours going around that he fancied you, you know?"

Laughed and shook his head. "They were never confirmed and anyways, who said I wanted to work under the management of Marcus Flint?"

"You're desperate Katie; you'll do anything for a job."

"Yes, well maybe Flint is too far!"

"Sometimes you're a very stupid girl, Katie Bell," Angelina exclaimed.

Deciding to change the subject, Katie replied, "So, how are things with Fred?"

Angie sighed and Katie looked at her friend, sensing something was wrong. Quickly she guided the other girl to a bench that lined the alley and Angie began to talk. "Things are not well. He started working late when I tried to pressure him about marriage. George won't say anything to help the situation… actually I think he wants to make it worse. He keeps taking Fred to strip clubs… Katie, I'm not sure how long we'll last!"

Katie put a reassuring arm around Angelina's thin shoulders and replied, "You two have been together for ages. He's not going to leave you! He loves you, Angie."

"The fact that we've been together for ages is the thing that _worries_ me. I think his eye has been roaming. I'll go to his apartment and I swear I can smell perfume, not my perfume mind you; some tart's."

"Don't be silly."

"I'm not. He doesn't look at me the same anymore either. I don't know what to do Katie… and I'm not sure I would if I did know what to do. Sometimes I wonder if I should just move on."

Katie looked at Angelina in horror. "Don't say that Ang, please don't say that."

"Sorry Katie, but life is just sucking." Katie bit back her response, knowing that her friend wouldn't appreciate at her bringing up her financial state.

"Well, well. If it isn't Bell and Johnson. How are you girls doing?" a devious voice asked. Looking up Katie's eyes meet Marcus Flint's, Devin Montague standing behind him.

"Flint," Katie replied in a greeting, "funny seeing you here."

"Not really. I'm sure you've seen my new shop," he added, pointing to Quality Quidditch. "It's going to blow away all the competition. I'm sure if you were still playing Bell, that's where you'd be shopping."

Katie found herself glaring at the large man who surprisingly look a lot more attractive, be it with age or the possibility of a job. "Well, Flint," she said icily, "I'm sure you've heard my predicament."

Flint laughed, almost a harsh sound, but not quite. "Yes, I'm sure I have. What are you looking for Bell? A job?"

"Is that such a strange thing to ask?" Katie asked as she cocked an eyebrow. 

Flint just shrugged. "I guess anything's possible," he replied before adding, "Bring in a resume. I'll have my people call you."

And with an air of finality Flint walked away, leaving Katie sitting with Angelina, whose attention was else where, otherwise known as having an intense staring constant with Devin Montague.

"You know, Montague," Katie said with an air of contempt, "Flint has flown off."

Montague broke his stare with Angelina to glare at Katie before bowing slightly and striding after Flint at a comfortable pace and Katie turned back to Angelina. "Very interesting," she murmured while Angelina just glared.

**A/N- **Sara, aka. ArrA here! I hope you liked the first chapter and Nev will be posting the next chapter soon!


	2. In the Same Predicament

**Chapter Two: In the Same Predicament**

"You think Fred's eyes are wandering, but who's being a little tease, missy?" Katie asked her friend. 

Angelina smacked her on the arm. "How could you say that right in front of them?" she demanded. "If you wanted a job, Katie, that surely wasn't the way to get it. You were acting just as bad as he was."

With a sigh that made her shoulders slump, Katie rose from her seat. "I've got to get home and work on that damn application," she muttered, feeling suddenly very tired. "Talk to you soon?"

"Yeah," Angie smiled warmly. "Tell me if you need anything, okay?"

"No problem," Katie lied, before waving, and walking back to her apartment. It looked the same, a tiny building sitting off by itself, split into different areas that were sold off as cheap apartments. Pulling out her key, she unlocked the door and entered. 

She had never been one to stoop as low as someone else had. And Marcus Flint was under the category of lowest stoopers. However, seeing the financial fix she was in, she would have to do something. She couldn't sit around in her apartment all day feeling sorry for herself. No, that was not the way a Bell was, or at least that wasn't how her mother had taught her to be. 

While growing up, Katie had always looked to her mother for what to do and how to act. Perah Bell had never been one to loose hope. It was her unending inner strength that made her so lovable. Perhaps that was why it was so hard for her daughter to move on after her death. Out of all the things the witch had done in her time on earth, Katie couldn't see why something as Muggle as cancer could claim her life. It wasn't supposed to be that way. Cancer couldn't steal the only person she had.

Slamming her fist against the nearest wall, she took in a slow, steady breath. She was overreacting and she knew it. Her mother had died ten years ago. There was hardly anything she could do about it now. She wasn't meant to bring back souls from the dead. She couldn't play the sport she loved more than oxygen, so how in Godriac's name was she going to raise the dead. And even if she could, what would that do to help her problems?

It was a lose/lose situation. Either she applied to Flint's store and labored under his devious eyes, or she stayed here in her apartment going through the Daily Prophet's Wanted Ads every morning until she could stand it no longer. The choice was hers to make. She was running out of time. Her funds could only hold so long and that wasn't long enough for her to hesitate. 

There was nothing left in her Gringott's account. In fact, she no longer had a vault in the Gringott's bank. The goblins had taken her key when she had no more money left in it. "We'll be needing this for our next investment," a chubby fellow had snapped, when he snatched away the golden key. "See you when you can start to make end's meat again." And that was that. 

No one held any pity for her, least of all her father. He was too busy with Ms. Lange to pay her any head. His new girlfriend of eight months was too young to even be considering Richard Bell. The thought of him becoming intimate with yet another dumb girl right out of college made Katie's stomach turn. How could he do that to her? It was just the same as if he was being with her. The idea was vial. 

Thinking of vial, why had Angie brought up that crack about Flint having a crush on her. That was so long ago, and even when it had been going around, she had always just considered it was something he had started to get a rise out of Oliver Wood. Being sworn enemies for their own personal reasons, Flint and Wood had fought over everything, including Katie Bell, but not in a way she would have preferred. 

Where she cared for Wood more than a friend, he wanted to protect her like a big brother. She was convinced by the end of her Hogwarts career that he was only in love with Quidditch. If the game was a woman, he would have had her eating out of the palm of his hand by now. However, the sport was not a physical thing, therefore, he was too involved with it to have time for her, unless Flint was around, then he managed to make all the time in the world to back her up.

Things had begun when Katie first started playing. She was the smallest girl on any of the teams. For their first game, Wood had kept a special eye on her, mainly because he wasn't so sure about having placed her on Gryffindor's team in the first place. His doubts were so heavily burdened on his shoulders, he spent extra time with her during the entire game. This led to the theory that they were an item.

Obviously, this made Flint mad. He didn't want Oliver to be happy, no matter what the conditions. So things started between him and Katie. At first it was little things, tripping her in the hall, charming her hair so it turned an unnatural shade of periwinkle, or dropping a mini-dungbomb in her Potion's cauldron. Things of that nature usually annoyed her, but never had he physically harmed her. At least not until their third year. 

Gryffindor had had a secret scrimmage with Slytherin. Wood and Flint had wanted to get a bit of action before the real game. No Seekers, no Beaters, just three Chasers against three Chasers and one Keeper for each side. When Katie had heard of what was going on, she had thought it was an exceptional idea. Only after the fact did she realize how stupid they had all been. 

Things went wrong right from the beginning. Flint had beat on her and beat on her hard. He knew that out of all the players, Wood worried about her the most. It was because ever since their first game together, she had been the skinniest one on the team. He had never let her be herself and do what she could do to prove why she had been placed her in the first place. If he had just let her go, she wouldn't have been in for it, but either way, Flint wouldn't leave her alone.

Throughout the game, she was brutally shoved, smacked, and even punched once. Devin Montague had been in league with Flint back then just as he was now. Though evil, he had never once raised a hand against her. He had had an awful time with Angelina though. She had given him hell and for good reason. She wanted him to pass the message on to his captain to stop beating on her best friend. However, it was not meant to be. 

Falling from the sky like a rock, Katie had landed on her leg. Where it broke then was where it had broken once again during her training on Morgan Pitch. It was Marcus Flint's fault, she suddenly realized, that she could no longer play Quidditch. Her one love, the thing she had always had to count on had been ripped from her fingertips when that blasted troll had pushed her off her Cleansweep 14. 

_He owes me_, she thought angrily. As she thought about it, she came to the conclusion that it wasn't such a bad idea. He did owe her. It was his actions that had ultimately led her to this fate. Had she managed to snag a place in Professional Quidditch, she would have made a small fortune. It was quite clear that she wouldn't be living like she was now had she gone on to bigger and greater things. Flint needed to redeem himself and giving her a job was just the way to do it. 

Beaming with a smile, the first real one she had shed in a long time, Katie pulled out her best quill and jar of ink. They were actually her only jar of ink and quill, but she referred to them as her best, to make them sound more important. In no time, she was working hard on her resume so she could apply to work at Flint's QQS.

She didn't know exactly what to write. It wasn't like Flint didn't already know she was qualified for the job. She had been around Quidditch since she knew what it was. She definitely had the background for it. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't reject her just for the fun of it. He had never had a special liking to her, besides the attention he paid her to irk Wood. Katie still couldn't believe that Angelina thought that attention was attraction instead of annoying pranks. 

The vision of how Montague had stared at Ang made her wonder what he had been thinking. It was odd how Angelina doubted her relationship with Fred. If she was so concerned about him being unfaithful, why had she been returning Montague's curious gaze? Things just didn't add up. She'd have to have a long talk with her friend as soon as the time was right, but first, she had to get this job. 

It was a little after lunchtime when she completed the application. Pleased with the work she had finished, she sealed it in an envelope. The professional side of her told her to owl it to him, but since Diagon Alley was close by, she decided she'd deliver it herself. More than likely, Flint was out to lunch. That would give her time to slip the resume under the door without having to actually face him again. Besides, the store wasn't opened yet. He didn't stop by it everyday, did he?

Shrugging, she told herself that if he was there, she'd deal with it. She was a big girl now. She had to learn to stand up to the bastard if she was going to be working for him. All that inner strength her mother had once possessed was something she would have to strive for. If she had that inside her, nothing could weigh her down, least of all Flint. 

Diagon Alley looked much nicer today. It was amazing what a small turn of events and twenty-four hours could do to one's perception of the world. Suddenly finding herself happy for no one particular reason, Katie started to whistle.

Quality Quidditch Supplies came along quickly. In no time she was climbing the stairs to the door. The inside was dark so she relaxed. Flint wasn't here. She wouldn't have to see his signature smirk as she stooped to apply to his store. It made coming here a lot easier on her. She didn't feel so inferior. 

Slowly, she slipped the envelope under the doorframe, hearing the paper brush gently across the fine grain wood of the floor. It was money that could buy such elegant surroundings. It was money that she needed to regain all her furnishings. It was money that she was looking to get from this job. It was money that she didn't have. How she prayed that Flint would be kind and let her have this position. 

She backed away from the steps, eyes focused on the paper inside. Deciding that she might as well go home, she turned around, nearly walking right into another figure. She groaned when she saw who it was.

"Funny how certain people seem to grow on you," Flint gloated when he saw how pleased she was to see him. "Did you drop by to stare into my empty store, or did you actually hand in a resume like I said?"

            "You know what's really funny, Flint? The fact that you could have made it big and instead you're stuck here, with nothing but a store," she hissed.

            "Yes," he nodded, one finger stroking his chin. "I suppose that could be comical, but then again, you're in the same predicament, Bell." She glared at him. How did he turn around everything so that it benefited himself? 

"I'll have my people call you. You should have word in less than a week," he commented, not sounding interested in her application. Instead, he strolled away from his shop, leaving her to wonder why he had stopped by in the first place.

**A/N: I have noticed that Sara and I aren't getting many reviews for this. Come on people! Even if my chapter sucked, you could at least review the first one. It was awesome! _~ _Nev__**


	3. The Flint Family

Shattered, Chapter Three  
  
A week had come and gone and Katie had received no news from Flint or anything of his so called people. This thought had driven through her mind every minute of everyday since the time period had expired. Now, four days, 6 hours and 37 minutes later, Katie Bell was pissed. Pissed with Marcus Flint for not contacting but even more pissed for the fact that all those years ago he had decided to ruin her life. With a growl she pulled herself off the couch on which she had spent the morning scanning through the Wanted-Adds, only to have the feeling that Flint was silently mocking her with the add that he had placed in the Daily Prophet looking for employees.  
  
Storming towards the door she pulled an old, warm robe over shoulders, wishing that she had the money to buy a new one. The robe in question was two years out of fashion and the last thing she had been able to buy since in the past she had spent so much on quidditch supplies. Let the bastard see how poor I am, Katie thought to herself as she rushed out of the door, bag in hand, heading for Diagon Alley.  
  
She moved through the streets, crowded with witches and wizards who bustled past her, attempting to finish their shopping.  
  
Katie weaved through the crowds and towards QQEquipment. When she reached the building she saw how far the store had progressed in lets say. 11 days, 6 hours and 29 minutes. The windows were boxed in from the back, creating a showcase of the upcoming store and its merchandise. The doors were slightly open, encouraging people to come in and look around and a large sign just below the billboard for QQEquipment advertised the date of the grand opening.  
  
Katie made her way up the stairs to the front door of the store, stopping occasionally to gaze at the premium quidditch equipment, although it was it was almost impossible to get a look at the latest Firebolt since so many young quidditch players were crowded around it.  
  
Finally she pushed the front door fully open and got a look at the store. She took a deep breath, gazing around in awe. In the centre of the store was a mini quidditch pitch to try out new brooms and around it were brooms for every position. Robes from every English team, as well as the National teams for England, Scotland and Ireland decked the ceiling and banners representing different national teams hung off the railings of the second floor.  
  
"Excuse me," a young witch asked, tapping Katie's shoulder, "we're not open yet."  
  
Katie jumped, startled before turning to look at the witch. "I'm sorry," she began, "but I'm looking for Marcus Flint. Do you know where I can find him?"  
  
"Oh," the woman said, looking aspirated, "what did he do now?"  
  
Katie looked at the woman confused before answering, "I applied for a job over a week ago and he's gotten back to me. I was wondering if he could tell me in person whether or not I got the job."  
  
"Ow," she replied, "well, if you follow me, I can check for you. Marcus hasn't gotten through all the resumes yet though, so he might be done with yours yet."  
  
Katie shrugged as the woman gestured for Katie to follow her into the back of the store. Leading Katie into a little office the woman started to shuffle through the paperwork on the desk, finding a stack of resumes and applications. "What did you say your name was?" the woman asked.  
  
"Katie Bell."  
  
The woman nodded before pulling out Katie's resume and quickly skimmed it over. "Well, Miss Bell," the woman said, "Marcus hasn't gotten to your resume yet but he isn't the only person who's hiring."  
  
"Oh, who else does it?"  
  
The woman laughed, "Why me, of course! And I'm always a good judge of first impressions and you impressed me. So, you got the job!"  
  
"Oh, thank you so much!" Katie gushed and threw her arms around the woman, hugging her. "But I don't even know your name!"  
  
The woman opened her mouth to tell her when a familiar voice called, "Marta! Where are you?"  
  
The woman turned around and called, "We're in here!"  
  
Katie heard the footsteps as Marcus approached the room and took a deep breath, hoping he didn't fire her the moment he realized she had been hired.  
  
"Marta, have you had the time to go through those resumes?" Marcus was asking when his voice trailed off, his eyes on Katie. "What's she doing here?"  
  
Marta smiled and replied, "I just hired her."  
  
"Well then, you can fire her as well," Marcus replied coldly.  
  
Marta, unlike most people, did not back down. Her eyes hardened and she took a step towards Flint. "Marcus, I own half of this company and I can decide the people we hire. So don't threaten me. I might be shorter than you, but always remember, I am your older sister."  
  
Marcus glared at Marta, swinging his still glaring gaze to Katie before he turned on his heel and walked out the room, Marta's laughing following behind him.  
  
Katie just looked at Marta in shook. It was like a miracle, she thought to herself. Marta turned to her and smiled and Katie realized that she could see some of the resemblance, now that she knew they were related.  
  
"Thanks," Katie told Marta for the second time that day. "I really need this job, so appreciate the fact that you didn't listen to Marcus. He's a difficult person to defy."  
  
Marta laughed, replying, "Well, I can remember him still in diapers and I've always been able to draw my wand faster than he can, so it's all good. Anyways, I don't remember a time I backed down from him and don't want to ever."  
  
"Well, thanks again. I probably should get going before your brother gets back her and decides to kill me for invading his store."  
  
"His store? I own half, you know?"  
  
Katie smiled. "I'll be sure to remember that! Especially when he's trying to fire my ass."  
  
Both women laughed. "I'll owl you when your hours are up, Miss Bell."  
  
"Thank you and call me Katie."  
  
Marta nodded. "Marta Flint," she replied and reached out her hand. Katie smiled and grasped the other woman's hand and they shook before Katie waved goodbye and exited the stop.  
  
Feeling a lot better about herself she started down the road towards the small shop that Fred and George owned in Diagon Alley. Although they had offered her a job, Katie had refused to take it, knowing nothing about gag gifts and practical jokes. In Hogwarts she may have found it funny but now she was far past the age that their constant creations made her laugh. But at the moment, conversing with the Weasley twins seemed in order. She had gotten the better of a Slytherin and she knew the twins would love to hear about this.  
  
Entering the Weasleys' shop, she smiled at Fred how stood behind the counter. "How are you, Fred?" she asked, the smile soon fading from her face as she saw Fred's response.  
  
"She left," Fred said. "Bloody hell! She left!"  
  
Katie looked sadly at her friend, her good mood diminishing. "Oh, Fred. Come here," she told him and pulled him into a hug. "It's going to be ok, you know?"  
  
Fred shook his head. "It isn't. She's not coming back. The other day I saw her with a Slytherin of all the people in this fucking world. A Slytherin!"  
  
"Calm down. She'll be back; she's just confused; that's all."  
  
Fred shook his head, and Katie felt helpless.  
  
"Fred!" a voice called from the other room, "are you alright?" And George Weasley entered the room, and smiling briefly at Katie before turning back to his twin. "Look, Forge, you've got to move on. Obviously the bint wasn't good enough for you."  
  
Katie looked sadly at Fred before hastily saying goodbye. She didn't want to stay and listen to George speak ill of her friend, even though she had hurt Fred. Instead she headed back to apartment to owl the other girl.  
  
Unfortunately, as she was passing the entrance to Knockturn Alley, large hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her slightly into the forbidding alley.  
  
"What do you think you were doing, barging into my store like that?" Marcus' voice rung from behind her right ear. "Now you created friction between me and Marta and believe me, that bitch is a challenge."  
  
"A bigger challenge than Marcus Flint?" Katie asked sarcastically, feinting a fake gasp. "You're giving your position up for a girl?"  
  
Marcus was not amused and pushed her away from him, and she hit a stone wall with a thump and almost fell to her feet. Fortunately she was able to catch herself and turn around to face Flint. "You think you're so great, Flint," she hissed, "but you want to know what? You ruined my life."  
  
Marcus laughed at this. "Really? So was I at that stadium, hiding in the shadows and magically pushed off the broom? The answer is no, Bell. At the time I was in Thailand, tying up some business for my father. Dirty work that was too," he muttered, almost lost in thought. "Made me realize that working for my father was not a good idea; so Bell, how did I ruin your life?"  
  
"In school, you pushed me off my broom and broke my leg for the first time. If I hadn't of been injured in the first place I wouldn't of hurt it permantly. That is why this is all your fault! You owe me Flint!"  
  
Marcus laughed and then started to walk away. "I'll be seeing you at work, Bell," he yelled over his shoulder. "Don't think I'm going to make it easy for you." And then he disappeared, leaving Katie to make her way back to her apartment, fuming the entire way. 


	4. Mixing Business with Pleasure?

Chapter Four 

            The thought of owling Angelina had completely left Katie's mind after her more recent encounter with Flint. She could still feel the strength of his hands on her skin. She was sure there were going to be nicely sized purple bruises there before the day was done, not to mention a large brush burn on her back from colliding with the wall. Perhaps the best part of the day was meeting his older sister, Marta. 

            _A witch after my own heart_, Katie thought a bit of a smile emerging. Never had she seen someone be so forward with Flint. It was nice to see someone stand up to him. Maybe Marta could give her some pointers. 

            Settling down at her small kitchen counter, she started to replay the entire exchange between Marta, Flint, and herself. There was friction. Work was going to be ugly. She could almost taste the disgusting flavor of hopelessness in her mouth. But wasn't this job something she had wanted? It was the only way and she was up to it. Marcus Flint might think he was the greatest, but he never had known her. She wasn't one to quit now. 

            Recalling how she had wanted to pester Angelina with a million questions, Katie got out of her seat, and pulled out one of the last pieces of scroll paper she owned. It took her a moment to find her quill and some ink, but when she got all her tools in order, her mind was blank. How was she going to do this? What was she to write? This was her best friend since first year and she couldn't even write a letter to Angie? What was wrong with her?

_Angelina, _

_Hey! I got the job, despite Flint's orders. His sister, Marta Flint, hired me. I thought it was going to be great. I had a job and everything. I stopped by Fred and George's shop to tell them the great news, but then Fred told me you left. What happened? He said you were with a Slytherin. Angie, please tell me you didn't run off on him with Montague. Owl me back as soon as you can. _

_~ Your Friend, Katie _

            Finished with her letter she gave it a quick look over before folding it and stamping it shut with red wax. Her owl, Frisbee, had died over a year ago. Since his death, she hadn't had the heart to buy another. He had been a good pet, very loving and obedient. She promised herself to buy another owl as soon as she had the money saved up. 

            Deciding that she'd owl Angie's letter when she went back to Diagon Alley tomorrow, she started to make herself dinner. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            The following morning, Katie was woken up by the light sensation of pecking. Curious and in a bit of a daze, she opened her eyes. A magnificent owl was perched on her bedside table. In its left talons there was a letter. Seeing the Flint crest stamped onto the front, she could only assume the papers inside held her hours. Or her order to be fired, whichever one Flint had the more ease to do.

            She took the letter and opened it. Two pieces of paper fell onto her lap. She ignored the first, seeing that it was merely a list of her hours. Her hand reached for the second piece of paper. It was a note from Marta. 

_Katie, _

_Marcus and I have decided to open the store this coming weekend. As you know it is almost Thanksgiving and every witch and wizard is going about doing his or her shopping for the holidays. Marcus insists we should wait until after the chaos of Christmas, but I know better. I have persuaded him to let us open the store. _

_However, that means we'll be needing you to come in today. If you have other plans and are otherwise inclined, I understand. Of course, my dear brother has informed me of your recent financial state and I thought you would be looking forward to some extra hours. So if you could, I'd love to have you come in today and help put the finishing touches on the store. _

_~Yours Truly – Marta Flint_

At first she wanted to ring Marcus Flint's neck. How dare he share the confidential information about her financial state with anyone! Then she realized that Marta was different from her brother. Unlike the troll, Marta was much kinder and she would understand. Katie could trust her. 

Immediately, she penned the reply, saying she would be there in an hour. Before she sent off the owl, she made sure to check her hours, just incase she had something else she'd like to say. 

_Ms. Katherine Bell - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Clerk_

_Monday through Friday - - - - - - - - - - - -10 am – 8pm_

_            Saturday - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11 am- 9pm _

_            Sunday - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -12 pm – 4pm_

            The times seemed reasonable enough. She was pleased. Working all these hours was sure to put some money on the table. In no time she'd be on her feet again. She never thought a Flint could make her so happy. Then she reminded herself that it was Marta who was doing this for her, not Marta's brother.

            She started to fold up the hours, that was when her eyes caught the messy scribbling on the back of the sheet. Since Marta had written the to her already, she could only assume that this new note was from none other than Mister Marcus Flint.

            _Bell,_

_            Congratulations, you made it past the first round. You may have my sister to back you up, but don't think she can protect you for long. I'll be watching you. The first time you screw up, you're gone. _

_            ~ Flint           P.S. By the way, how's Woody?_

            Katie screamed in frustration, crumbling up her hours into a ball and tossing it across the room. How could he be so vile? Didn't he understand anything that she was going through? Obviously, he had never been poor, but couldn't he be empathetic at least once in his life? 

            Picking up her letter to Angie, she sent that and her reply to Marta off with the owl. "Let Marcus Flint think he can best me," she told herself out loud. "I'll just give him some of his own medicine." With that, she went to take a shower. 

            Forty minutes later, she was leaving her apartment. Walking through Diagon Alley, she let her eyes wander to the many things she desired in the shop windows. The many things she wanted could soon become a reality. Though she was mad, was her anger enough to make her lose her job? Flint was horrible, a terrible disease, but it wasn't worth losing her job over. This was what he wanted to do to her. He wanted her to leave. 

            As she made her way to QQS, she passed a familiar looking couple. The girl had fiery red hair, but the boy had hair as blonde as the moon was white. She did a double take to try and catch a glimpse of their faces, but she only managed to see their retreating backs. Confused that she couldn't place the two, she nearly walked past the store. Catching herself, she went up the steps and into the small building. 

            "You're late," a gruff voice came from the second level. 

            She glanced up at the balcony. Flint was trying to levitate a candle over to the chandelier. He was failing miserably, but she didn't raise her wand to aid him. She walked away, heading into the back office to find Marta. 

            "Hello Katie."

            "Hi," she greeted her boss when she entered the room. "Sorry I'm late."

            "Late?" Marta looked over her shoulder at the hourglass that hung on the wall. "Don't be silly, you're three minutes early. Why did you think you were late?"

            "Flin-," she stopped, catching herself, "Marcus said something about-,"

            "Oh, well you'll just have to ignore him. He's in one of his moods today." Marta laughed to herself, then continued with the filing she had been doing before Katie came in. "I was glad to hear you were coming. I was starting to worry when the owl didn't come back, but then I realized he had another stop to make before he came here."

            "Ooops! I'm sorry," Katie apologized, realizing she had sent the owl on a personal mission, when she had sent him off with Angie's letter. "I just…I don't have an owl anymore…I didn't mean to,"

            "Don't worry," Marta smiled, shaking her head. "I don't mind."

            "Ok," Katie sighed, relieved.

            "Come on, I'll show you around the store and tell you what needs to be done," the older witch led Katie out of the office, showing her the different spots. 

There was a section just for Quidditch books, a section for practice snitches, quaffles, and bludgers, a section for the How-To's of the sport, and of course, the main purpose of the store, the real merchandise. A huge broom showcase was at the front of the store, but off to the right section there was an enormous area of just brooms. 

The place was great. Katie had never felt more at home. Just as Marta was telling her about how they received all the products, Flint called her away. Smiling, Marta told her to take a look around on her own. Katie nodded, her eyes transfixed on the newest addition to brooms. A creation meant for speed, agility, and those who loved the sport. She ran her fingers over the Firebolt 360. 

She could imagine herself flying this broom. Clouds passing her would only see a stroke of red and a blur of gold as she darted through the sky. At night the stars would have to race to keep up with her. The moon would be her light and no matter what happened during the day, she would be able to let it all go with one ride on that beauty. Katie closed her eyes, imagining. 

"She's a beaut, ain't she?" Marta asked, returning. 

"Yes," Katie breathed, still staring longingly at the broom.

"Do you think you know away around?" 

"Yeah, what do you want me to do?"

Three hours later, Katie Bell was sweating, but feeling awfully good about herself. She had finished stacking the rest of the Quidditch For All Ages magazine stands. All the issues were in the correct order and in their right shelf. It had taken awhile for her to get it to look presentable, but now that it was done, she was proud of herself. 

"Nice work, Kate," Marta grinned, coming out of the office. "I'm heading out to grab a bite to eat. Want to come along?" 

"Nah, it's alright," she sighed, wiping the sweat from her brow. "I brought my own lunch, besides, I look horrible."

"Nonsense, you look fine," Marta argued.

"No, really," Katie smiled. "I'll be fine. Besides, I wanted to fix up those shelves over there," she pointed to where the practice balls were kept. They don't look so nice. I was going to use my magic touch to change that."

"Okay," Marta waved. "See you later."

Katie returned to her work. She was determined to fix the shelves. The boxes that held all the snitches and such were in disarray. Customers would prefer to see the store's products treated with more respect. She was going to make them look good, even if this was her only day working here. She had a feeling that Marcus Flint wanted her to be gone. If that was the case, her days here would be numbered. 

She started by taking all the boxes down. Looking at the space that was left, she started to put all the boxes in order by style, type, and expense. Next, she began putting everything back, starting with the bottom shelf and the bludgers.

Some time later, she had just about finished. About an hour had passed. All she needed to do was put the last snitch box up on the top shelf. It was the newest type. This particular practice snitch was widely acclaimed as the best and Katie's old Hogwarts teammate Harry Potter was endorsing the product, so naturally, it was going to sell extremely well. 

The top shelf was higher than she had first thought. Ready to levitate the box, Katie reached for her wand. However, when she searched through the folds of her robes, she realized that it wasn't there. She had forgotten it at home. Shrugging, she tucked the box under her arm and started to climb the shelves. When she got to the top, she carefully pulled out the package, adjusting its position until it looked perfect. 

"Bell! What are you doing?" demanded Flint.

His voice had startled her and Katie lost her gripping on the shelf's edge. She toppled backwards, awaiting the hard impact of the wooden floor. Instead, strong hands came out of the air, grasping her, right before she collided with Flint's body. Both of them went sprawling to the floor, Katie landing on top of him.

"What do you think you were doing up there?" Flint hissed, completely ignoring the intimate position they were in.

"I was trying to fix that sloppy job you did of putting all those boxes on display! Don't you know anything?" 

"I know that without this job you're nothing!"

"Yeah? And I know that with or without this job you're still the same prick from back at school!" she shot back.

The bell on the front door of the store rang and in stepped Devin Montague. When he saw the two fighting, Katie sitting on top of Flint in a very amusing position, his normal expression became an all-knowing smirk. 

"Hey Marcus! Mixing business with a bit of pleasure I see."

**A/N: I'm so happy with how this story is turning out. Sara's work is extremely good. I think she's set out a great plan for this fic. I'm just bringing up the rear. Lol! I appreciate all the reviews we have been taking in. Feel free to comment on what you would like to see in the future chapters and any other character involvement. Love you all! _~ _Nev__**


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